Chapter 724: The Zhao Heavenly King Takes Care of Business

The next day, the large force still surrounded the place, shouting abuse without pause. This time, they were growing restless. News from the south trickled back bit by bit — Zhao Jin had come through unscathed and had made a grand display of his might. That was now a settled fact. If that was the case, just standing around shouting abuse was hardly enough. If they could take this compound and capture Commander Zhou, then when Lord Jin became emperor, they might just get to switch into a general's seat themselves...

Some began clamoring to charge forward, but the crush was too great. There was no way to smash the gate or batter the walls; they could only climb over. Then they were beaten back down by the commander's household troops guarding the wall top. Watching them shove and jostle, punching and kicking, it looked just like street thugs brawling. But the more they scuffled, the hotter tempers flared, until finally blades were about to be drawn.

The crowd blocking the gate dispersed. Battering equipment was made ready. The fighters and killers from each household fell in behind. And Commander Zhou's personal guards, no matter how weary and slack they might be, now strung their bows and nocked arrows, prepared to fight to the death.

Just at that moment, someone arrived from Xuzhou. The man who came was a steward from the Cloud Mountain Firm, escorted by a few mounted household troops. Though he was only a steward, in the eyes of the local tycoons of Pizhou, he was practically a celestial being. They immediately halted their actions and awaited his instructions. This steward had come precisely to negotiate with Commander Zhou.

It turned out that in the Xuzhou region, if the Zhao Camp wanted to step forward and communicate with Commander Zhou, it had to be one of Zhao Jin's close companions and confidants, or else the elders and seniors of the various families had to show their faces. Yet this time, only a steward had come. It truly felt like an insult.

But how could Commander Zhou care about such things at a moment like this? The fact that Zhao Jin was willing to talk with him was already cause for boundless gratitude. He hastily had the man invited inside.

The discussion did not last long. After the steward came out, he spoke only to Cheng Daqi. He said that Lord Jin thanked the Cheng family for their hard work during this period. Lord Jin could not spare the time right now, so he would have to trouble the Cheng Daqi brothers to take great care with matters here in Pizhou.

When the steward sent by the Cloud Mountain Firm spoke these words, he did not ask everyone to withdraw, nor did he lower his voice. He clearly meant for everyone to hear. When Cheng Daqi heard this, he looked as if he had drunk too much fine wine — his face flushed crimson, and he could barely stand steady. The people around him had fallen silent, and upon hearing this, their faces were all filled with envy.

Look at that. Back when the Cheng family took that risk, everyone laughed at them for being fools. They thought, fine, so you threw in that worthless brother of yours, but why drag your whole family into the mess? Only now did they realize the gamble had paid off. With these words, Zhao Jin had essentially put Pizhou under his management. What had he been in Pizhou before? Nothing more than a third-rate local tycoon trailing behind the Feng family. Now he was governing an entire prefecture.

After they finished envying that, everyone began speculating again — just how would Lord Jin deal with the Xuzhou Regional Commander, Zhou Baolu? It didn't seem like Lord Jin was about to kill officials and rebel right now.

Despite Cheng Daqi's warm invitation, the steward did not stay. Without pausing, he rode straight on to Yutou Town. It looked like he was heading to the new refugee stockade by Luoma Lake — no, to the Zhao Family Manor.

After that steward left, Cheng Daqi said that Lord Jin had already made arrangements. Everyone should stop the siege and disperse, then wait for further news. No matter what they thought, after the steward had spoken just now, everyone subconsciously dared not disobey Cheng Daqi's instructions. So they dispersed. But Cheng Daqi's own men did not move; they remained stationed around the residence.

The next day, Commander Zhou, his entire household, and his troops all left Pizhou. Cheng Daqi followed with several dozen of his own riders. They traveled west like that, straight into Xuzhou. Once they reached Xuzhou, Cheng Daqi turned his men around and headed back. But on his return, he had gained several dozen sturdy horses, fully equipped with saddles and bridles, laden with weapons. A few horses also carried heavy wooden chests. Those with sharp eyes could recognize them — these were the mounts of the soldiers under Commander Zhou's command.

Could it be that out in the desolate wilderness, they had wiped out Xuzhou Regional Commander Zhou Baolu's entire household along with those household troops? Lord Jin truly had grand methods and a ruthless, merciless hand!

But the very next day, someone who had gone to Xuzhou brought back word. They said they had seen Commander Zhou's party — only now several dozen of them were on foot.

More and more news came back, and everyone finally understood how the matter had been settled. Xuzhou Regional Commander Zhou Baolu still lived in Xuzhou city, and the troops under his command had not been reduced. But his household was left with only two riding horses, and all their carts had been switched to oxen. All of his cavalry guards had been turned into foot soldiers. As for Commander Zhou's several hundred horses, Jiang Mutou at Fangcun Market had also taken in over a hundred. The rest were hauled back to He Village to be distributed.

Without his mounted guard cavalry, Commander Zhou was instantly a toothless tiger. Although those several hundred dismounted guards and household troops were still brave and battle-hardened, in a fight on foot against the household troops of the Zhao Camp, they didn't stand a shred of a chance.

Moreover, from this point on, the several hundred personal guards under Commander Zhou completely fractured. Those who hailed from the Three Guards of Xuzhou no longer had any heart to stay. The Zhao Camp had offered them better terms. If someone vouched for them, they could come serve in the Zhao Camp's cavalry unit. However, they could not start as household troops, only as militia, with a monthly wage half of what they received under Commander Zhou. But the Zhao Camp guaranteed one thing: whatever amount you originally received from Commander Zhou, that would definitely still be paid out — and it would still be disbursed by Xuzhou Regional Commander Zhou Baolu himself.

The Xuzhou Defense Regional Commander, Zhou Baolu, had been kneaded and crushed by Zhao Jin, his plight enough to make one sigh and weep. It was said the Zhou family had already spent a great deal of money to send someone to the capital. Not to request the court to suppress the rebels, but to request a transfer or resignation. Xuzhou had truly become unbearable. Yet with a new monarch just ascended to the throne and the court factions locked in fierce struggle, who had the time to pay him any heed?

Xuzhou was now bustling with activity. Shops reopening, goods being sold again, people coming to offer gifts, people coming to apologize — all sorts were present. Although the Internal Guard and informants were everywhere, keeping a very tight watch, it was hard to guard against the odd spy from some sundry goods shop. They didn't probe for anything; they just did normal business and listened for the mood.

As a result, just a few days after the incident with Commander Zhou Baolu, a troop of men arrived from Wolf Mountain. They delivered to the Zhao Camp three hundred sturdy horses with full tack, along with Shi Ping'ao, bound tightly in ropes...

The ones delivering these were not even officers under the Wolf Mountain Vice Regional Commander, but a wealthy merchant from Qingjiangpu. Since they had to come offer gifts anyway, this was just treated as an add-on.

Around the Mid-Autumn Festival, Yutai County in Shandong had not the slightest festive air. The Wanli Emperor had passed away, and all feasting and entertainment were strictly forbidden. But that was only one reason. The Liao Impost was the true culprit. The county, which had never recovered its vitality after the famine years, had been utterly ravaged by the Liao Impost. Commoners fled, and even small and middling landlords went bankrupt one after another. In such circumstances, how could there be any bustle or celebration?

Few people passed through the city's south gate, and the soldiers on guard duty were listless. The sun had already shifted west, long past the post-lunch drowsiness, yet several of them still leaned there, dozing.

"Look over there — quick, look!" One who was awake suddenly shouted. His cry jolted everyone alert, and they all turned to gaze southward.

A moment ago, no one had been visible, but now they saw over a dozen men sprinting madly along the official road, as if chased by wild beasts. In broad daylight, with nothing in the surrounding fields but rats...

But the question did not last long. The gate-guarding soldiers immediately saw dust rising in the distance on the official road. A dozen or so riders were charging in pursuit.

Could it be mounted bandits raiding? That was everyone's first reaction. A militia conscript at the gate reacted quickly, already grabbing the alarm gong. The group hurriedly ducked inside the gate. Since there were no commoners entering the city at that moment anyway, they shouted to push the gate shut, leaving just a crack. They would let the fleeing men dash inside, then slam the gate closed, beat the gong, and summon the militia to mount the walls and resist.

Though Yutai County was already broken and ruined, plenty of people still lived inside the city. If mounted bandits truly charged in, everyone would suffer.

But men could never outrun horses. Those dozen or so men ran slower and slower, stumbling and staggering. Someone tripped and fell flat on the ground. The others did not even glance back; they just kept sprinting forward.

What chilled the hearts of the Yutai County crowd was that the dozen pursuing riders did not swerve to avoid the man fallen on the ground. They simply trampled straight over him. The scream could be heard even from far away.

One by one, the men were overtaken. The pursuers did not draw blades; they used clubs and staves to beat the men straight to the ground. But with the force of the horse behind them and striking from above, a single blow was enough to snap bones and sinew. The victims lay on the ground, unable to rise.

One by one, they fell. Two who ran especially fast had already reached a point just a dozen paces from the city gate. But the pursuers behind them were even more ruthless. One let fly a rope from horseback. A metal hook could be seen tied to the rope. The hook caught directly into the shoulder of the man ahead. The rider behind halted his mount, and the hooked man let out a wretched scream, toppling straight onto his back. The rider behind simply wheeled his mount and dragged the man backward, leaving him to thrash and howl on the ground.

The other man was just four or five steps from entering the city. The pursuer behind him strung his bow and nocked an arrow, shooting it straight through the man's thigh. The man with the pierced thigh shrieked for help, desperately crawling toward the city gate. But the soldiers and militia at the gate had never seen such ferocious "horse bandits." They had already frantically shoved the gate shut. The pursuer rode up, tossed a noose to bind the man tight, and dragged him away as well.

"... Do you people have no regard for the law?"

A headman in military officer's garb on the city wall shouted, his voice trembling. Though someone below was screaming piteously for help, no one in Yutai County would ever venture out. Yet in broad daylight, with men killing and wounding so brazenly right before the city, it seemed remiss not to at least ask.

The rider who had chased them to the city wall turned his head and glanced up. Everyone on the wall instinctively ducked behind the battlements. This fiend's archery was accurate; they didn't want him shooting at them.

Fortunately, the man below did not string his bow. He simply shouted back in an equally gruff voice: "The Zhao Heavenly King is taking care of business! Don't go courting death!"

The Zhao Heavenly King? Zhao Jin of Xuzhou? The one who, just by reviewing his household troops, had frightened off several thousand of the court's elite cavalry? Everyone on the city wall instantly understood. They subconsciously shrank back behind the battlements. As the piteous cries for help faded into the distance, they never dared show their heads again.

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